City and County of Honolulu News Releases

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RESIDENTS URGED TO PREPARE FOR HURRICANE SEASON   (Wed., June 1, 2011) – June 1st marks the official beginning of hurricane season.  Although the National Weather Service Central Pacific Hurricane Center has forecast a below normal hurricane season, residents must still remain aware and prepared.               "In 1992 Hurricane Iniki a Category 4 storm system devastated the island of Kauai," said Melvin Kaku, director for the Department of Emergency Management.  "Although the full force of Iniki impacted Kauai, Oahu was not spared. We suffered flooded homes from rain and storm surge, island-wide power outages, blown off roofs and tens-of-thousands of dollars of damage to public and private infrastructure. We must be aware of the hazards hurricanes and tropical storms present and be prepared at all times during hurricane season."               Take the time today to discuss hurricane preparedness with family, friends and co-workers. The FEMA website www.READY.gov contains disaster preparedness and planning documents as well as lists for essential emergency items in English as well as other languages.               All residents should consider developing an emergency preparedness kit containing a five to seven day supply of the following items.  These items are good year round for any emergency that may affect Oahu.   Essential items to include in your emergency preparedness kit are: ·        Water - One gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation. ·        Food - Non-perishable food that does not require cooking to consume.  Popular local foods such as Spam, corned beef and Vienna Sausages are handy. ·        Radio - Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both. ·        Light - Flashlight and/or a portable fluorescent light and extra batteries. ·        Medical Supplies - First Aid Kit, prescription medications and glasses. ·        Pet Supplies - Pet food, pet carrier and extra water for your pet. ·        Important Documents – Wills, deeds, banking information etc. stored in a watertight container.                          In addition to emergency supplies everyone should have a disaster plan, an out–of-state emergency contact and be prepared by learning all you can about the disasters that could affect us here in Hawaii.   -30-   Media contact: John M. Cummings III, DEM Public Information Officer, 723-8960